Wednesday, November 14, 2007

I don't know what to say about all the new building going on in downtown Bend and Redmond. It's fairly mind-boggling.

I do believe it will soon be very painful to some of these new owners, but an overall benefit to the downtown cores. At worst, they'll leave the 'beautiful corpse' of a storefront for the next guy. They apparently live in a parallel universe where money is no object. Another restaurant that spends 300k on renovations, a two story bookstore with coffee lounge, etc.

To me, it's like taking a Lexus to a Destruction Derby. But, hey, if they want to do it....

I'm calculating that we've got a year or two of new storefronts opening up, and we're all going to look so prosperous and, well, that's half the battle.

Would I do it if I were them? Hell, no. I'd find an existing location, just slightly off the beaten track that is turnkey....maybe. But I don't have to, right now, so I'm just watching all these wonderful new edifices with bemusement.
Let that rosy glow shine on me and my store. If you want to be crazy bastards, why should I stand in your way?

So for all you new businesses: I say go for it! I can pretend I'm one of you guys. You know, the kind of guys who spend the big bucks. I mean, I might be worried about sounding too cynical, but since you guys live in a parallel universe, you can't hear me anyway.

I really think you should do it!

Really! Never mind the naysayers, you have a dream!

Go, for it! Spend that money!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

The math is very clear.

By Dec 2006 it was clear that Juniper-Ridge was dead, and the city owed $2.5M to kuratek.

Garzini brings Les Schwab in to rescue the project, which Anderson would later fuckup.

Les Schwab promises to FUND kuratek with real cash $2.5M to go away, if city picks up $5M muni-cdo-bond to pay for their INFRASTRUCTURE.

Anderson trys to get WALMART&LOWES to pay the cost of the $5M, rather than seeking a city bond on this fiasco, which he knows may bankrupt the city or kill its credit, note the money will never be paid back to the city.

The Anderson move so pisses off WALMART they have their lobbyists contact ODOT which shuts down the whole project.

Anderson is fired, and walmart & lowes are promised a new deal by garzini. Les Schwab is told to move forward, the BULL announces Juniper-Ridge is dead.

Kuratek walks with $2.5M of Schwab money.

Only in Bend.

Bend Economy Man said...

BendBust, that is awesome. How do you see all this stuff? You are really good at connecting the dots.

I am totally serious.